young shot

You can take who you like stalking..............

Look at Chapter 7 of the HO Firearms Guidance, there is a link in the Legal Section on the Forum front page.

TJ
 
young person

I am interested in the general response to this. A friend of mine sent a picture of his young son (9ish) to BASC to put in their young shots section of the mag. He had a pigeon he had shot with a .22LR. He received a very snotty letter back from BASC stating that for anyone under 14 to use a section 1 firearm is illegal unless on a range (or fairground perversely). I checked up in my "shooting law" book and this seems to be the case. Shotguns are a different matter.
It is a very commonly held view that anyone can fire your rifle as long as you are in attendance, no matter what their age. Without wanting to steal the thread I wonder if anyone can definitively answer?

The home office guidance refers to under 14's and good reason, where the good reason is competitive target shooting (hence range) so is a bit misleading.

However at 14 you should not be breaching any laws unless you are poaching or someone gets shot!!! :eek: :D :D
 
get him out shooting captain the earlier they start the better
my son was in sporting gun magazine at 14 having shot 200
pigeons two his own gun hes 17 now with full firearms and
shotgun certificate
there is a downside though when he beats dad :oops: :oops:
ATB pete .
 
Here's the link to the Home Office guidance to Police on Firearms Law: http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/pub...policing/HO-Firearms-Guidance.pdf?view=Binary

The 'Young Persons' section starts on Page 31, and is backed up by a summary in Appendix 4. It looks like you have to read specific sections of the Law to get the full understanding:

7.8 Sections 22(2) and 24(2)(a) and (b) of the
1968 Act deal with persons under the age
of fourteen and relate only to firearms and
ammunition to which section 1 of the 1968
Act applies, which (by virtue of the 1982
Act) includes replicas which can be readily
converted to fire. Under section 24(2)(a) such
firearms may not be given or lent to a person
under fourteen (though it is not an offence
by the young person to receive them).
7.9 Section 22(2) prohibits persons under the
age of fourteen from having with them any
such firearms or ammunition except in
circumstances where they are entitled by
virtue of sections 11(1), (3) or (4) of the 1968
Act or section 15(1) of the 1988 Act to have
possession of them without holding a firearm
certificate. These include possession at rifle
clubs, on a miniature rifle range or as a
member of a cadet corps. Except in such
circumstances, it is an offence under section
24(2)(b) to part with the possession of any
firearms or ammunition to which section 1
applies to a person who is under the age of
fourteen (though it is not an offence by the
young person to receive them).
 
This might be useful:

http://www.met.police.uk/firearms_licensing/age_restrictions.html

AgeRestrictions.jpg


willie_gunn
 
Stringer

Will be very interested in BASC's response, as I am also looking at this whole question.

What I found on the BASC website was their guidance on Young People and Firearms, which says:

14 TO 16 YEARS OF AGE
At the age of 14 a person may hold a firearm certificate and may then be given firearms and ammunition within the conditions on the certificate.

The law does not set a minimum age at which the holder of a firearm certificate may shoot without adult supervision. That is left to the discretion of the parent or guardian.

So far as use of the 'Estate Rifle', again from BASC:

THE FIREARMS (AMENDMENT) ACT 1988

The above act made it lawful for someone of, or over, the age of 17 to borrow a rifle from the occupier of private land and use it, on that land, under the supervision of the occupier but only under the conditions on that certificate. Under these circumstances the rifle can also be borrowed from a “servant of the occupier”, for example a gamekeeper.

The italics are BASC's.

As I read it that means that captain kulzean's son can only use his rifle if (a) he currently has his own firearms certificate and has the captains rifle on it, or (b) he waits until he is 17 and then uses the captain's rifle as the Estate Rifle.

Clear as mud ;)

willie_gunn
 
Some way back about 8 years ago I gave a weeks stalking for a young shot away to BASC (mind you I was a member then :confused: ) and they made a stipulation that by law they had to be 17 years of age and over to use my rifle/rifles on my lease in Scotland.

Mind you I can take anyone over 17 out on anyone of my leases and they can use my rifles even if they are from overseas without a Visitors Permit, which always makes me laugh when it comes to applying for overseas visitors permits to stalk in the UK and the rig marol that goes with them :rolleyes:

Sikamalc
 
Level 1 question.

Your 14 year old son passed the written assessment of the DSC1 and shoots well with a .22 in the Cadet Corps. He now wants to go deer stalking but has not Firearms Certificate. What are your legal options?

a. You send him out under supervision of a local game keeper whose estate rifle he will borrow

b. You can lend him your rifle withour a certificate as long as you supervise him closely

c. You can allow him to buy a rifle himself having first obtained a Firearms Certificate

d .You can lend him your rifle, he having first obtained a Firearms Certificate for the rifle

The correct answer according to Deer Quest is (d) as I thought.
 
Law is clear on this one

A 'child' under 14 may only use an FAC rifle on a range and must not use any FAC rifle for any purpose other than target shooting.

A youngster of 14-17 may only use an FAC rifle if they have a FAC for that specific rifle. Normally such a certificate will have a 'supervised' condition on it.

Don't allow any youngster under 17 to shoot your rifle as it is an offence unless they have a certificate for that rifle.
 
Take the lad out stalking your not breaking any law he's with you at all times supervised .

Forget all the pish that some people write about this and that law and get him out before he's running with the wrong element .

If any lads shows interested why wait by putting them off ,because the so called law ,which we've got a whole load of versions of this again, the law states, this and that your never too young to start .

If in any doubt phone the local BASC who run young shot days from ferret days to ,pigeon day, air rifle, shotgun .
 
??

Quite right W.S. sod the law :eek:

I take my 12 year old step son out regularly with air rifle and shotgun. He loves clays and is a pretty good shot. He's been stalking with me and loves beating. However for as long as "fit character" is still part of the assessment for my FAC he wont be firing the centrefires until he's 17 or I get him his own FAC at 14.
 
widows son like your thinking
better to be out shooting than mixed up with the wrong crowd
getting into trouble then wont be getting any certificates etc
pete .
 
By all means get the kids out from as soon as you can but keep it legal. Carrying an air rifle is a great introduction to the responsibility of handling a weapon safely but bare in mind people watch and not everyone is on our side.
 
I whole heartedly agree with Widows Son and the other two previous posts. There is nothing wrong with introducing young people to this wonderful sport we all enjoy and love at an early age.

Even to the point of teaching them FA safety with air rifles and small gauge shotguns is all good grounding for the future. It teached them discipline, safety, respect, and also gives them a sense of belonging. But what we must remember is that the law is the law, and although we may not agree with it we still need to follow it.

ATB

Sikamalc
 
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